OUR STORY SO FAR

HOW IT BEGAN

In 2004 the broadcaster and past president of the RIBA, Maxwell Hutchinson contacted Jack Pringle the then RIBA president-elect to propose that architects needed to do more in the humanitarian sphere. Inspired by the impact engineers were having through RedR, they decided to use Jack’s presidency to launch a new architectural humanitarian charity.

THE LUCKY ESCAPE

Later that year Maxwell and his partner were caught up in the Indian Ocean Tsunami while on a trip to Sri Lanka and were lucky to escape with their lives. This lucky escape and seeing first-hand the aftermath of the Tsunami reinforced Maxwell’s understanding of the potential impact that the built environment can have on saving lives and preventing natural hazards from turning into major disasters.

Jack agreed to host the new charity, initially called Architects for Aid, in his offices at Pringle Brandon. Maxwell recruited Dr Vicky Harris as its first MD and a board of trustees was formed. From the outset they were determined that the charity would adopt two key principles; to put work effort in the field, rather than just talk about the issues, and to work with the utmost professionalism.

IMPACT OF OUR WORK

Since then we have worked on over 90 projects in 34 countries around the world to benefit some of the world’s most vulnerable communities. Norman Foster, founder and chairman of Foster & Partners, who is responsible for some of the world’s most recognisable buildings, is now Article 25’s patron.